Episode 64: The End of the Road

by whitney & christina on June 26, 2014

On The Crush’s final show, we’ve got some BIG announcements, and are taking a walk down memory lane. We wax nostalgic by reminiscing about our most memorable wine adventures. From riding horses bareback to drinking Japanese wine in a Spanish cemetery, we reveal our favorite wine moments of all time.

“You never know if a visit with a winemaker or to a winery will end up being thrilling or a snoozefest or somewhere in between. It’s usually the latter. But, SOMETIMES and usually with every big trip I’ve taken, there’s always that one visit that defines the whole thing. The one that you’ll laugh about the next day while recounting all the crazy things that happened, daydream about a month later when you’re stuck in traffic…” From Whitney’s blog post, “A Day of Rioja with Pecina”

Where it all began in 2009. Lambrusco out of a plastic cup while on the Amalfi coast and the hilarious (we think so) video we made of that first trip.

Our new friend and future travel buddy Soren in Vienna, with Whitney and a giant schnitzel.

Where did we go in autumn 2010? FRANCE! One of the most memorable experiences we will probably ever have was with Olivier Cousin. Whitney riding Olivier’s horse Romeo and Christina preparing to attempt ax sabering at 3am.

2011 was all about Spain (and California, see below). One of our favorite food and wine pairings ever in all of our travels: Pecina’s 1998 grand reserva with rare steak at Alameda, in the town of Fuenmayor. More on our adventure with Pedro and Mikel here.

We also got to experience the wild and puzzling, but exciting magic that is Laureano Serres and vegetal water in Terragona. “My brutal is the most brutal of all brutals.” Read more about that visit here.

So, finally Christina went to California in 2011. We gathered a group of lady friends and headed to Terroni for some orange wine (Tedeschi Pignoletto) and Milziade Antano Sagrantino di Montefalco paired with a lamb ragu pasta. Christina proclaimed it amazing, Whitney took a bow for her genius pairing work.

Christina and Whitney organized a small press trip to Germany in 2012. Highlights were a 2008 AJ Adam Dhron Hofberg Feinherb Riesling with venison, late night Braulio Amaro smuggled in from italy by Nico and Willi Shaefer’s 1976 Beerenauslese.

Most recently, we decided to head to a destination that had nothing to do with wine – Thailand. There we drank cheap South African jug wine on the side of the road in Pai, among many other things.

Other winemakers/wineries we mention in the episode: Domaine Le Roc des Anges and Olivier Varichon of Domain Vinci both from Roussillon, France, Els Jelipins from Penedes, Spain, Lopez de Heredia from Rioja, Spain, and Gavin Chanin and Sashi Moorman both from Santa Ynez, California.

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Thank you all so very much for listening along with us these past 3 years. It’s been a wild ride and we were happy to share our little piece of the wine world with you. You can continue to follow along with our adventures on Twitter/Instagram (@ubriaca and @winewchristina). Catch you on the flip side!

Oh, so very sorry to hear that this podcast is ending for good. I found this podcast via Homefries and the Joy the Baker Podcast at the very beginning, and started listening despite having very little knowledge or interest in wine other than drinking it. After a few episodes of The Crush, I was hooked and have since become obsessed with wine– the history, the regions and veritals, the geography, the growers, on and on. You two were my catalysts in discovering this huge world of wine and I want to thank you both for creating such a passionate and knowledgeable podcast that will surely be missed. I learned SO MUCH from Carmen and her travels and enjoyed laughing along with both of your journeys as well. Best of luck with your exciting new endeavors!! -Sarah Butler

Hi Sarah, thank you so much for your kind words. We’re extremely touched and honored to have made a difference in the start of what we’re sure will be your lifelong passion for wine. Thanks for being such a loyal listener.